DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 2330Z August 29, 2026
SMOKE: Canada… Despite significant cloud cover this evening, fires were observed burning in the Northwest Territories, where they produced moderate density smoke plumes generally drifting northeastward. A layer of moderate density smoke spread northeastward from fires in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, drifting across British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan before reaching Nunavut. Light-density smoke was observed over much of Canada, drifting eastward towards the Davis Strait and southward to join with light-density smoke over the United States. United States… Wildfires across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana generated individual moderate-density smoke plumes that generally drifted northeast. These plumes contributed to a layer of moderate-density smoke that drifted northeastward over Idaho and Montana, then into Canada. The Timber Fire in Monterey County, California was observed producing moderate-to-heavy density smoke moving southeast along the coastline before being obscured by cloud cover. A large layer of light-density smoke covered much of the United States, drifting southwestward over the Pacific Ocean, eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, northward into Canada, and southward into the Gulf of America. Mexico… A layer of remnant light-density smoke from fires and industrial activity was observed across the Gulf of America and northern Mexico. The smoke eventually drifted westward and offshore into the Pacific Ocean. GM THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES AND SMOKE WHICH HAS BECOME DETACHED FROM THE FIRES AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VIEW A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF THESE AND OTHER PLUMES WHICH ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND STILL ATTACHED TO THE SOURCE FIRE IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE: JPEG map: https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg Smoke data: https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Smoke_Polygons Fire data: https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Fire_Points ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO: SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov